Hi ! I'm Russ Crow. Gardener, and bean collector. These pages are a little about my bean
collection. I first began collecting beans around the middle of the 1970's. I have nearly 50 years experince in growing beans
for seed. I am contstantly thinking about seed quality and the appearance of that seed. In the fall after all the bean seed has
been harested and dried. I sort through all the seed and weed out the small, mishappen, and badly stained seeds. After that all
seed in the packaged and stored in a freezer. This is to maintain the high germination rate that seed had when it was harvested
new. Frozen stored seed will germinate at a good rate for about 25 to 30 years.
In my early years of bean growing I 
belonged to two seed
saving organizations that dealt with vegetable seed. John Withee's bean growers network "Wanigan Associates" from Lynnfield, Massachusetts.
John's bean network dealt only with beans. I had joined his organization in January of 1978. In the autumn of 1978 I became a member of
"Seed Savers Exchange" (SSE) and became a listed member in 1979. I remained a member of SSE until 1989. After that I stopped growing my collection
because of an issue with my gardening ground and not being sure of where to take my bean growing project. However I rejoined SSE in 2011 and
have solved my issue of finding ground on which to grow beans.
The SSE formed in 1975 by Kent Whealy, and his wife Diane Ott Whealy from a personal experience they had of acquiring
several vegetable varieties from a dying relative. Had the Whealys not continued growing and renewing the acquired vegetable
cultivars, these varieties may also have passed away. Along with them the germplasm, the genes, and chromosomes, the
genetic code that was contained in those varieties. The Whealys then set about preserving the varieties of our vegetable
gardening heritage by forming the SSE. A seed growing, and exhange network which is not only about preserving the genetic
material, and diversity those crops contain. It is also the preservation of the uniqueness those varieties represent along with any
of their known histories. Plus the honoring of the individuals in bygone eras who grew and maintained this wonderful resource. Truely
treasures bequeathed to us today from the past.
Originally based in Princeton, Missouri. Seed Savers Exchange relocated to a farm in Decorah, Iowa in 1986. Today
SSE's current location named Heritage Farm covers 890 acres of woods, streams, prairie land, isolation gardens, as well as
their offices, long term seed storage, and other seed processing facilities.
John Withee was among others, one of the great bean collectors of the 20th century. He began Wanigan Associates network back
in the 1970's and was concerned about the varietal and genetic loss long before it became fashionable. His organization was
a network of gardeners that helped him maintain his collection of 1186 bean varieties he developed when he started trying to locate
beans that he had known since his Maine childhood. John was one of those early pioneers who had the forsight to save and preserve
the germplasm of this wonderful staple food crop. Wanigan Associates lived on into the 1980's until Mr Withee retired from a heavy schedule
of bean growing every summer season. John Withee born in 1910 passed away in May of 1993, but some of the Wanigan collection of beans lives
on in my collection, and in it's entirety at Seed Savers Exchange's Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa.
In 2011 I was also part the Canadian equivilant of SSE called Seeds Of Diversity Canada (SODC) for a few years. You can discover more
about these organizations at www.seedsavers.org, and
www.seeds.ca. Besides being a member of SSE, and SODC. I have contact and
enjoy collecting, and trading beans with other organizations, and gardeners around the world.
On the various bean pages A through Z you will find 336 photos of various varieties of beans that
are in this collection. Many are traditional varieties from North America and other partsof the world. There are very short descriptions,
and sometimes little bits of history on some of them. Many of these beans were garden grown varieties, and some date as far back as the early
17 and 1800s. Some of these varieties which have excellent natural disease resistance became the basis of breeding newer more modern cultivars
grown in the 20th century, and beyond. Some of these older commercial varieties are still sold by many seed companies today. Most others varieties
known as heirlooms are being kept alive, and passed on by average everyday gardeners generation after generation. Who knows what histories and stories
might be behind them.
Hope you will enjoy all the photos of the bean seeds. It is amazing the variety of colors, and patterns you will find
among them. When I hold a bunch of different bean seeds in my hand it's just like holding a miniature flower garden. I'm also
holding an amazing amount of history that goes all the way back to when the native people of the western hemisphere first
began cultivating the bean. The discovery of new beans never seems to end, and with new varieties discovered, they never
cease to amaze me.
On the Blue Jay page you will find the story about my very first stablized bean cross discovery. However within a week I would discover what eventually became Kishwaukee Yellow and Kishwaukee Green. Howerver I haved devoted an entire page to Blue Jay because the bean was not only my first cross discoveries, as it had developed the most spactacular and interesting life's journey of it's own of all my bean outcrosses. I now consider all my beans that began as outcrosses, original varieties. They have been stable true to type varieties. Most of them now for over 40 years. I was so excited to find that this bean is still around enjoying life in the warm breezes of summmer, and has become so well accepted and enjoyed by so many gardeners. I'll tell you my side of the Blue Jay story. Then you can read the articles emailed to me all about where Blue Jay has been living since I last let go of my sweet child of the sun.
I have a network of growers. These are people who chose beans from the network pages 1-11 and grow out the beans of their choice. Then return 60 quality new seeds to me of each variety of their choice in the autumn. Anyone can participate in this network. For more details Network.
I do fill requests for seed samples of the varieties in this collection from the bean pages marked A-Ca, Ce-Gi, Gi-La, La-Pa, Pa-Se and Se-Z.
My Contact email address is upadam@comcast.net
(1.) Email me using this address and let me know what you would like. Also let me know what your shipping address is.
(2.) After you decide how you will make payment. Check, Cash, Paypal, or money order (drawn on a U.S. bank). My PayPal ID is upadam@comcast.net
(3.) I can make up your package of beans and mail it to you using United States Postal Service.
Shipping information. Beginning November 1, 2023 there will be a flat $7.00 on all order sizes. Outside the U.S.A. the total cost of postage will be added to your total for your bean package.
All packets are $5.00. Large seeded beans do contain less seed numbers in a packet. The amount of seed in the packet is stated under the photo of each variety. It generally varies with the size of seed and sometimes the amount of my harvest for any particular variety.
Something to consider about the beans you see on these pages. Many of these beans are rare. You will hardly find them in the seed catalogs of major seed companies. Sometimes found only in small numbers on very small heritage seed companies that are often found only by happen chance on the internet. Their seed is not available by the pound. Their lives hang on by mere grams and ounces. They are the survivors of time immemorial that has brought them to us into the present. The objective is always to never allow them to slip away into extinction.
I do not do volume discounts. My seed samples are very generous, and not expensive for as rare as these varieties are. The funds I receive nearly covers my costs of growing and harvesting them. Every seed is hand planted, hand harvested and hand shelled. I'm happy if you want them. To grow them, to possibly share them with others, and to give them the stewardship they deserve. They are worthy of their lives. Truely a treasure and a gift from the past.
I will be having a surgical procedure on April 22, 2024. Today on June 19th I have healed enough from my surgery that I can drive again. So I can pack beans and drive packages to the post office. Seed sales as of this day June 19, 2024 are back on.
Beans A-Ca on the next page